Do We Need Vegetarian and Vegan Jewellery?

By Jess Wanless

Why does anyone need jewellery? The answers are many and various. Let’s try some of the following:

Because it’s beautiful/striking /irresistible – probably all three!

To show how wealthy I am – this is the oldest reason in the book.
To show what good taste I have…To adorn my body!
To match my clothes
To bring out a colour in my outfit
To contrast with my clothes for emphasis
To highlight my eyes/ears/neck/ankles/wrists etc
To distract from my eyes/ears/neck/ankles/wrists etc
To brighten up an outfit
To tone down an outfit
For fun

For effect (for example):

• To make me look business-like
• To make me look trendy
• To make me look cool/hot
• To make me look younger/older
• To make me look beautiful or failing that pretty or attractive!
• To make me look less beautiful or less pretty or attractive! This is a desperate measure!
• To make me look like me!
• To make me not look like me!

Or for expression:

• When I wear jewellery I feel happy
• When I wear jewellery I feel great
• When I wear jewellery I’m full of joy
• Or, alternatively, I feel happy/great/joyful so I wear a particular piece of jewellery!

There are many, many more, and I’m sure you’ll come up with hundreds but perhaps the best is because I love jewellery!

So what’s different about vegetarians and vegans?

There are a number of reasons why people choose to be vegetarian. The main reason is a commitment to not killing and eating animals or fish, but it could also be:

• Economic reasons
• Dietary
• Don’t like the taste or texture of meat (some still eat fish)
• Ecological reasons
• Because they have been brought up to be vegetarian/vegan

For vegans the approach is primarily not to exploit any living creature. From this it follows not to kill animals or fish to eat, and includes not eating any animal products e.g. dairy or eggs etc.

Why do vegetarians and vegans need to have different jewellery?

A natural conclusion of this for vegans and many vegetarians is not to use animal parts in any product (e.g. clothes, shoes, furniture, glues, jewellery etc.), wherever possible. For some products, finding an alternative can be difficult, but for jewellery, it should be easy…We tend to assume that the general public will wear anything in jewellery. However, everyone has their own particular preferences, likes and dislikes, concerns and physical tolerances. On the whole though, there are a wide range of materials that most people can or will wear. This is just as true for vegans and vegetarians. There are so many materials that are suitable for both, and only a few that are unsuitable. The unsuitable materials are obvious when you think about it, and are (for both vegetarians and vegans):

• Bone, horn and leather
  
• Shell, mother of pearl, pearls, coral

additionally for vegans there are:

• Silk,
• Amber, and fossils.

Well what are the suitable materials?

The conception that jewellery catering for vegetarians and particularly vegans is usually made of wood, is a crazy myth. They want jewellery to be as interesting, beautiful, classy or mad as the rest of the public. When the enormous variety of:

• Gemstones,
• Types of Glass,
• Crystal
• Cloth beads,
• Varieties of Wood,
• Different Metals,
• Rubber,
• Plastics,
• Acrylics, etc

are taken into account, we can see that there is an real range choice of materials.
Why is special jewellery needed?

So, why does anyone need to especially make ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ jewellery? To ask a wider question, why cater for any special needs in jewellery? The answer is because there is a need.

How do you know that there is suitable jewellery out there? The questions to ask yourself are:

• Are all the materials used in manufacture suitable?
• Where do I find this jewellery?
• Is the retailer committed to understanding my needs, giving good service and having a variety of jewellery that meets my requirements and pocket?

To take the above points in order:

1. Suitable materials
It is actually quite difficult to know exactly what goes into making up a piece of particular jewellery, For instance: Is fish based glue used in the construction?; Is it strung on silk?; Is the black bead I can see made of wood, bone or plastic?

If you care about these things, how do you find out when many web sites/ retailers don’t tell you and/ or don’t know or care? It is easiest to get the help that you need when a retailer makes their own jewellery, knows exactly what goes into it, and are willing to tell you! On our own web site each piece of jewellery we make is described and materials assessed when entered into our database. We categorise our jewellery and a ‘v’ for vegetarian is shown, with additional notes for vegans. We also have a vegetarian filter. This is not a particularly difficult procedure, particularly when planned into the site set up (apart from the filter which got our techie guy muttering). Anyone who makes their own jewellery should know what is in it – well hopefully!

2. Where to find vegetarian jewellery
On our web the search engines are usually moderately helpful, likewise the vegetarian and particularly the vegan societies often point their readers to suitable businesses, but may cut out businesses who include jewellery for omnivores (most of the general public) as well.

3. Commitment
This will mean a bit more research. Reading and checking through the websites and emailing for answers if necessary, or visiting retailers and talking to them, and of course asking around, either in your locality or on dedicated forums on the web.

Conclusion
Yes, of course we all need the ability to find and buy the jewellery that meets our requirements, needs, whims, fantasies, and fun and that, of course, means vegetarian and vegan jewellery as well! There’s some fabulous jewellery out there, and so much of it is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. So, do enjoy looking for, buying and wearing the right jewellery for you!
The special provision for vegetarian and vegan customers that we make at designed for you can be seen at:

www.designed-4-you.co.uk/